Renault Megane RS 265 Cup on sale in M’sia, RM235k

Those who have been hankering for a proper hardcore Renault Megane RS after the previous Cup was replaced by the softer, cheaper Sport model with the advent of the facelift, your prayers have just been answered. Appearing at TC Euro Cars’ Petaling Jaya showroom today is the new facelifted Renault Megane RS 265 Cup, which has virtually all the bells and whistles of the old car but with updated looks.

Taking its place above the Sport, the Cup is on sale now, priced at RM234,888 on-the-road without insurance, RM34,889 more expensive than the Sport but just a few hundred more than the pre-facelift Cup. Owners have the opportunity to drive the price up further with a sirius-ly pricey Sirius Yellow paint option, at RM7,000; standard no-cost colour choices are Oyster Grey and Pearl White.

Let’s take you through the looks first, shall we? At the front is Renault’s new corporate face (as seen on cars like the Clio RS 200 and the facelifted Koleos SUV) with a more prominent diamond logo and a slim upper grille. These are joined to new projector headlights with gloss black “eyelids;” beneath them sits an “F1 blade” that mimics the wing of an F1 racer.

The 18-inch “Tibor” alloy wheels are identical to the ones on the Sport, but here they’re finished in matte black. Interestingly, the Cup doesn’t come with the Sport’s Red Pack, so the side mouldings and rear spoiler are body coloured, while the aforementioned “F1 blade” is finished in gloss black. The Brembo brake calipers are painted red instead of silver on the Sport, however.

There are a fair few changes in equipment on the inside to differentiate both models – firstly, there’s now keyless start (the Sport required the keycard to be inserted into a slot in the dashboard to start the engine) in addition to the Sport’s keyless entry, while heavily bolstered Recaro semi-leather bucket seats replace the standard fabric seats.

Also new is a seven-inch colour central touchscreen that controls the R-Link infotainment system, including the upgraded RS Monitor 2.0; this is essentially the same system that is used in the Clio RS. A reverse camera is also fitted.

But it’s under the skin where the Cup really leaves its mark. Although it shares the same powertrain as the Sport – a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-pot that kicks out 265 hp at 5,500 rpm and 360 Nm at 3,600 rpm, sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission – the Cup suspension is 10 mm lower and features uprated springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. A mechanical limited-slip diff is unique to the Cup too.

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

Actually, they should seriously consider bringing the standard hatch, both in normal and GT line with the 1.2 TCe. Tbh, they are really impressive cars, considering French and all. Reasonably decent EDC as well.

Reigning hot hatch benchmark, king of the world in almost all accounts, don’t just believe me, withness for yourselves on Youtube, countless versus videos. Rwd GT-86 might be the only real contender. Smokes the rest in its class like Focus RS, Peugeot 208 GTi, DS3 R, Honda Civic Type R, Golf GTi, A45, BMW M135i. The new 2016 A45 AMG at with full $50k package might just edge it out in comfort. Golf R is to duel with the proper Race Megane 275

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